Newcastle United will be bidding to book their spot in the fourth round of the EFL Cup when they welcome League Two outfit AFC Wimbledon to St James' Park on Tuesday night.
The Magpies will enter the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League, while AFC Wimbledon drew 0-0 with Bradford City in their last match in England's fourth tier.
Match preview
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Newcastle have never won the League Cup, but they have reached the final of the competition on two previous occasions, including in 2022-23, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.
This does look like the perfect competition for the club to claim silverware this term, but they needed a penalty shootout to squeeze past Nottingham Forest in the last round of the tournament.
Eddie Howe's side will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League, with Anthony Gordon's second-half penalty securing a share of the spoils.
Newcastle are seventh in the table, boasting 11 points from their opening six matches, and they will head to Everton in the league next weekend ahead of the October international break.
The Magpies have only been beaten once in all competitions this season, which proved to be a 3-1 reverse to Fulham in the Premier League on September 21.
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AFC Wimbledon, meanwhile, have had to win two matches to make it to this round of the EFL Cup, beating Bromley 2-1 in the first round before overcoming Ipswich Town in the second round on penalties.
The League Two outfit have therefore already claimed a Premier League scalp in this season's competition, and they will bring a six-game unbeaten run into this contest, including five wins.
A strong start to their 2024-25 League Two campaign has left them in sixth position in the table on 13 points, six points behind the leaders Gillingham with two games in hand.
Johnnie Jackson's side will, for obvious reasons, view the league as their priority this season, but it would be some achievement if they were able to overcome Newcastle on Tuesday evening to advance to the fourth round of the League Cup.
Team News
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Newcastle will again be missing Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, Callum Wilson, Lewis Miley, Matt Targett and Alexander Isak for their contest with AFC Wimbledon at St James' Park.
There will be changes to the side that started against Man City, with Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Miguel Almiron, Martin Dubravka and Emil Krafth set to be among the starters.
Howe could include the likes of Joelinton, Harvey Barnes and Fabian Schar, though, as he selected a strong XI in the last round of the competition against Nottingham Forest.
As for AFC Wimbledon, Omar Bugiel is the team's leading goalscorer this season, finding the back of the net on three occasions, and the 30-year-old will again feature through the middle.
Matty Stevens has come up with two goals in eight games, and he will be another starter, while Myles Hippolyte is expected to be given the nod in an attacking area.
Having had a lengthy break since their last match, fitness should not be a problem for AFC Wimbledon at St James' Park, but it will still be an incredibly difficult ask for the underdogs in this clash.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Krafth; Willock, Longstaff; Almiron, Joelinton, Barnes; J Murphy
AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:
Goodman; Harbottle, Lewis, Ogundere; Neufville, Smith, Ball, Hippolyte, Tilley; Stevens, Bugiel
We say: Newcastle United 3-1 AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon are enjoying an excellent start to the season, and they will enter this match in strong form. We are struggling to see anything other than a comfortable home success on Tuesday, but the visitors should be able to give their supporters a goal to cheer.
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Matt Law
